Latest News – The Horse
PMU Horses For Sale
Put aside for the moment your belief that the PMU (pregnant mare urine) industry is right or wrong. The issue at hand is Wyeth pharmaceutical company’s reduction in the number of ranchers under contract to collect pregnant mare urine as the main ingredient for hormone replacement therapy for post-menopausal women. Wyeth has cut ranchers from 409 to 264. This will put 10,000-18,000 horses on
Suspensory Ligament Injuries: Mending With Marrow
“Our hypotheses were that horses with suspensory ligament desmitis, treated with bone marrow components from their own body, would hopefully return to soundness more rapidly than horses with conventional treatments, and have a lower rate of recurrence, which is a common problem in suspensory desmitis cases,” says Herthel.
Bursitis and Synovitis
A swelling on the limb that might or might not be accompanied by lameness could be the first sign of bursitis or synovitis. These are similar, moderately common inflammatory conditions of the structures that produce synovial (joint) fluid.
“When synovial structures become inflamed, distension (swelling) and pain can follow,” says Joanne Kramer, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, clinical assistant
Mare Breeding Problems: Make Room for Baby
One of your main objectives whether you own or work with broodmares should be to produce the maximum number of live, healthy foals from the mares bred during the previous season. Perhaps the biggest obstacle to achieving this aim is the “problem” mare.
Other Ways of Roughing It
For many years there has been a saying among horse owners concerning what to feed equines. It goes something likes this: “Dr. Green is an excellent veterinarian.” What is meant by that statement is that green grass prevents a lot of equine health problems.
For example, horses on good pasture rarely colic, and unless the pasture is located in an extremely dry climate, there is little
Adding Trailer Bells and Whistles
With so many horse owners hauling their horses all over the country to equestrian sporting events and to fabulous places to trail ride, horse trailers have taken on a new purpose. Rather than just a box to transport horses, horse owners now look at the comfort and safety of the trailers for their equine partners and for the convenience of the trailers’ features. Like trucks and cars, almost
The ABCs of Artificial Insemination
AI is a relatively easy, safe, and convenient method of covering mares with stallions from all over the world. As with all techniques, it takes skill to make sure all the proper steps are taken to provide the best chance for pregnancy.
Abusive Training for Stud Colts
I hope you are not offended by this question, and that you will find time to answer it if you know anything about it or maybe could refer me to someone else who might have heard of this fairly unusual advice. My boyfriend was afraid to write to you about it, so I will.
Recently my boyfriend met an old-time horseman who found out we had a 2-year-old stud colt. This guy was
Tail Rubbing
One of our mares rubs her butt on everything, all the time. It messes up the top of her tail, and she always has these big scratch marks across her butt.
We can’t seem to get her to stop it. We have dewormed her regularly and tried all sorts of different wormers. It seems like more of a nervous habit. Could she be rubbing herself like a stallion masturbating? Is that normal?
Two Chances at Life
To Michele Oren, each horse at the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation’s Exceller Farm is special. You don’t devote your life to saving Thoroughbreds and finding them homes without having a special affection for horses. But she’s not afraid to admit that two of the 32 horses at the Poughquag, N.Y., farm where she is the manager are a little more special than most. That’s the way it is when you
Reproductive Specialists
Is your best mare still not pregnant after three breedings? Is the stallion from whom you ship semen dropping off in fertility? Would you like to know about embryo transfer for your great cutting mare in order to keep her in competition? You might need to consult a theriogenologist! (Don’t let the name stop you–that’s just another name for veterinary reproduction specialist. It was coined
Professional Farriers to Gather in Rochester, NY, for Educational Event
Do not let your horse throw a shoe between February 25-28, 2004, as professional farriers from across North America and beyond will be temporarily unavailable. Gathering at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center in Rochester, NY, leading farriers and veterinarians specializing in hoof care will take part in the 33rd Annual Convention of the American Farrier’s Association (AFA).
U.K. Government Extends Deadline for Passports
United Kingdom horse owners will have an extra six months to obtain passports for their animals, after regulations detailing the requirements of the horse passport program were brought before Parliament.
The new horse passport regulations will help protect the human food chain by ensuring that all horses, ponies, and donkeys are issued with identification documents, which must contain
Organophosphate-Free Feed-Through Fly Control
On Nov. 24, Triad Specialty Products announced pending approval of a new feed-through fly control product. Serene Feed-Through Fly Control, which was designed for reducing fly populations in and around equine facilities, is in the final stages of the regulatory process, and should be available to horse owners before the end of the year.
According to the company, the product targets
FDA Approves New EPM Treatment
IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. announced Nov. 19 that it received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market and sell Navigator (32% nitazoxanide) antiprotozoal oral paste, a new treatment for equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). EPM is a progressive, degenerative disease of the central nervous system that can cause serious or even fatal neurological problems in horses
Colorado Fires Cause Evacuations
Equine evacuation plans were put to the test in Colorado when the Overland Fire in canyons northwest of Boulder grew so quickly that within just a few hours, 3,500 acres were engulfed and indefensible. The fire started on the morning of Oct. 29
